Having badly affected the moral of bureaucracy and its top officials, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday requested the bureaucracy to reinvent themselves. Kejriwal underlined the fact that he will initiate the system of reward and punishment.
Kejriwal further stated that the VAT and Excise Commissioners would be appointed through transparent system by inviting applications from eligible candidates in the Capital. The applicants would be required to present a blueprint for improvement in tax collections through persuasive and positive measures.
While speaking at a panel discussion on the eve of the Civil Services Day at the Delhi Secretariat, Kejriwal said his Government would evolve a policy of punishments and rewards to encourage competition among his officers.
“We will be inviting applications through advertisements for the posts of the VAT and Excise Commissioners. Even the existing Commissioners can apply a fresh for these posts.” Kejriwal said if the officers of the requisite seniority were not available for these posts, his Government would give a chance to junior officers by downgrading these posts. “Even if we are not able to find suitable candidates, we will invite applications from general public.”
Kejriwal had mocked the bureaucrats at the dismissal service of St Stephens on Saturday. He had cited an example, without naming the department, Kejriwal claimed that the Secretary concerned was unable to answer when asked what the “actual work” of the department was.
Comparing the official to the bureaucrat in the TV show Yes Prime Minister, Kejriwal joked that the official “kept saying things that I couldn’t understand”.